alex.moskalyuk » Internet scams http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:37:42 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.6 en hourly 1 When online real estate investments bite back http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/when-online-real-estate-investments-bite-back/1020 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/when-online-real-estate-investments-bite-back/1020#comments Mon, 13 Mar 2006 02:26:29 +0000 Alex http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/when-online-real-estate-investments-bite-back/1020 Buying expensive items online from the people you’ve never mett without any guarantees on the seller’s part might seem a bit risky even for an experienced Internet shopper, but apparently the “hotness” of real estate investment market influences some cash-heavy investors to look for opportunities online. When the entire transaction is done via a click of the mouse, and the deed for newly bought real estate arrives in the mail, some unsuspecting buyers might discover that a cozy house near the bus line in the middle of a busy street might imply a criminalized neighborhood and proximity to crack house. New York Times investigates negative experiences of people buying investment real estate online.

]]> http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/when-online-real-estate-investments-bite-back/1020/feed 0 New road to riches http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/new-road-to-riches/885 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/new-road-to-riches/885#comments Fri, 18 Nov 2005 17:50:11 +0000 Alex http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/new-road-to-riches/885
  • Open dating site.
  • Send out fake “I’m interested” e-mails and pay employees to go on dates with customers.
  • Profit!!!
    • ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/new-road-to-riches/885/feed 0     Click fraud for software developers http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/click-fraud-for-software-developers/855 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/click-fraud-for-software-developers/855#comments Sun, 23 Oct 2005 07:12:02 +0000 Alex http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/click-fraud-for-software-developers/855 Short summary: It’s getting pretty bad.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/click-fraud-for-software-developers/855/feed 0     California to outlaw phishing http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/california-to-outlaw-phishing/836 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/california-to-outlaw-phishing/836#comments Tue, 04 Oct 2005 01:43:25 +0000 Alex http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/?p=836 Fed up with the spread of phishing and agony, that victims have to go through, Californian legislators are proposing a law, which makes phishing itself punishable by “thousands of dollars in fines”.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/california-to-outlaw-phishing/836/feed 0     Amazon Marketplace scam http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-marketplace-scam/786 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-marketplace-scam/786#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2005 23:15:46 +0000 Alex http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/?p=786 I always liked Amazon Marketplace more than eBay and have probably sold a dozen or more of books from my apartment just this year. Generally it provides a pretty good environment and is reasonable hassle-free for sellers and buyers. The Marketplace account is tied up to seller’s checking account, so at least Amazon has some data on the seller, they process all the payments, so no chance of ending up with reversed PayPal payment or fake Nigerian cashier’s check, they also enforce shipping costs, inflation of which is so typical of eBay.

    So browsing their electronics top-sellers, I come across this nifty item – Samsung HP-R5072 50″ Widescreen Flat Panel HD-Ready Plasma TV, which generally sells for $4,000 to $5,000 and above. Now, if you look further into Amazon Marketplace section, you will find a bunch of Marketplace sellers selling the item for $650-900, which is a rather hefty discount. Now, we all know that LCDs are kicking plasma’s proverbial backends, but come on, that’s a pretty hefty discount for a best-seller item on Amazon.

    Thankfully, a post from FatWallet explained the tactics:

    Why going off Amazon Marketplace through Western Union is a no-no

    I am glad I did this search before sending the money using Western Union as this scamer’s instructions were, here is my story: I find in the Amazon.com Marketplace a guy that sells an X2 Infocus DLP Projector for $550 plus $10 S&H, very appealing; I place my order asuming Amazon.com will charge my VISA Card and forward the money to this “Emanuel” guy as they have done it with my previous purchases from the Marketplace. The day after I place my order I get an email from Amazon.com that reads:

    “We’re sorry, we’re unable to complete your order from an Amazon Marketplace seller enjoythegroove1@hotmail.com. We have canceled this transaction and you have not been charged for the order.”

    I emailed “enjoythegroove1@hotmail.com” and asked him why he had cancelled the order. He immediately replys:

    “Sir the offert is avaible.But if you want to buy the projector you must send me your full name and address so i can call to Amazon center to approve the transaction.After that you will receive an email confirmation from them with the all shipping details and payment method. Please email me asap with your full info!”

    I sent him my full name and address and then I did get 2 (TWO) identical emails from Amazon (since when Amazon.com sends the emails twice?) saying that the item was sold to me and telling me the payment instructions. They were asking me to pay via Western Union Wire Transfer (I thought Amazon.com was supposed to charge my Credit Card!!!) I even chatted with the guy on the yahoo Messenger he told me he was in London, so I asked him where the item was, he told me the projector was in the United States, in the Amazon warehouse. What the heck!!?!?!?! Does this guy think I’m stupid? I went on with his game and decided to do a Google search on this BASTARD, I found this Forum and was stunned to realize I was not the first one. So please be careful when buying in Marketplaces like Amazon or eBay, ALWAYS use Amazon itself or PayPal when paying for goods. that way you’ll be protected. OOh by the way, that email “from Amazon” asking me to send money through Western Union to:

    Emanuel Derich
    449 Luton Rd
    London NW109PT
    United Kingdom

    also totaled $550, as I was chatting with the guy I asked him what about the S&H??? He said it was included. Yeah Right! When I completed my purchase in Amazon when I placed the order Shipping was $10 making a total of $560, and now this new “Amazon” email doesn’t say anything about shipping ??!?!?!? That was stupid very stupid my Emanuel friend. I hope you read this and are behind bars when you do it. Have your mother send you wire transfers!!! As*sho*e! I hope this comment was useful for other people to keep them from doing business with this kind of guys.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/amazon-marketplace-scam/786/feed 105     Fraud victim’s rights http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/fraud-victims-rights/766 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/fraud-victims-rights/766#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2005 22:56:01 +0000 Alex http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/?p=766 Bob Sullivan from MSNBC provides advice on what rights a bank fraud victim has.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/fraud-victims-rights/766/feed 0     NBC Dateline tracks down a porn spammer http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/nbc-dateline-tracks-down-a-porn-spammer/748 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/nbc-dateline-tracks-down-a-porn-spammer/748#comments Sun, 07 Aug 2005 19:59:55 +0000 Alex http://alex.moskalyuk.com/?p=748 Were you aware of all the h0t c.o.e.d.s. and b0red house-wives in your neighborhood? If you ever took a look at your Bulk/Junk/Spam folders in your favorite e-mail client, you are probably aware of porn spam. NBC Dateline tracked down a porn spammer that was involved in sending out bestiality e-mails to a housewife in Texas.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/nbc-dateline-tracks-down-a-porn-spammer/748/feed 0     Thievery from old employee passwords on the rise http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/thievery-from-old-employee-passwords-on-the-rise/744 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/thievery-from-old-employee-passwords-on-the-rise/744#comments Sun, 07 Aug 2005 06:53:40 +0000 Alex http://alex.moskalyuk.com/?p=744 The New York Times runs an article about a new generation of digital thugs. Using unsecured wireless networks, free e-mail accounts, wealth of security knowledge, and, most important – employee passwords, thieves are getting access to valuable company databases and start extorting the companies to pay up for them to leave. Otherwise phony e-mails to customers and sensitive information published publicly will lead to an embarassment. The article talks about Myron Tereshchuk rom Maryland, who tried to extort $17 million from MicroPatent.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/thievery-from-old-employee-passwords-on-the-rise/744/feed 0     A day in life of Nigerian scammer http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/a-day-in-life-of-nigerian-scammer/743 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/a-day-in-life-of-nigerian-scammer/743#comments Sat, 06 Aug 2005 21:16:04 +0000 Alex http://alex.moskalyuk.com/?p=743 The media made Nigerian scammer career look too easy. Get online, introduce yourself as a corrupt government official willing to take the money out of the country, and wait for the wire transfers from victims to start rolling in. Associated Press takes us through a day in life of Nigerian scammer. It’s a life that takes place in Internet cafes with aged screens and free Webmail accounts. However, by the end of the article AP talks about some people who have made a good career out of it – three cars, two houses. That is, until the next crackdown comes along.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/a-day-in-life-of-nigerian-scammer/743/feed 1     Claria to be acquired http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/claria-to-be-acquired/677 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/claria-to-be-acquired/677#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2005 21:14:09 +0000 Alex http://moskalyuk.com/blog/?p=677 Dow Jones Newswires is quoting both New York Times and Wall Street Journal saying Microsoft is in talks to acquire Claria, peddler of Gator application, which, by the way, is not spyware. Google is mentioned as another possible buyer.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/claria-to-be-acquired/677/feed 0     How identities are bought and sold http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/how-identities-are-bought-and-sold/657 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/how-identities-are-bought-and-sold/657#comments Tue, 21 Jun 2005 17:54:48 +0000 Alex http://moskalyuk.com/blog/how-identities-are-bought-and-sold/657 You’ve read the story of one phisher from Romania in Wall Street Journal, now The New York Times describes the online marketplaces, where fresh credit card information (and sometimes much more than that) is being traded. Discover Card cobs (cards with ability to change the billing address) go for $50, American Express cobs for $85, and full-blown credit reports with everything needed to obtain a line of credit sell for 5% of the credit received.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/how-identities-are-bought-and-sold/657/feed 0     Fraudulent checks get traction http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/fraudulent-checks-get-traction/609 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/fraudulent-checks-get-traction/609#comments Tue, 24 May 2005 17:07:07 +0000 Alex http://moskalyuk.com/blog/fraudulent-checks-get-traction/609 It’s quite ironic that with all the effort the banks are putting into fighting fraud, checks still display the bank routing number and checking account number – precisely the information a scammer would need if she were to print checks in someone else’s name. This type of scam is on the rise, MSNBC’s Bob Sullivan says, with local and international scammers printing checks aggressively. If you know the routing number and account number, there’s even a way to print the check online – MSNBC points to Qchex, who in their security policy advises checking account owners to register the accounts with them – otherwise no one knows what might happen.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/fraudulent-checks-get-traction/609/feed 6     BusinessWeek on hacker hunters http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/businessweek-on-hacker-hunters/606 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/businessweek-on-hacker-hunters/606#comments Sun, 22 May 2005 16:25:59 +0000 Alex http://moskalyuk.com/blog/businessweek-on-hacker-hunters/606 You keep hearing about FBI, Secret Service or other law enforcement authorities involved in pursuing international cybercrime gangs, but who are those people and how does the cyberlaw enforcement work? Business Week talks about hacker hunters and people they’re after. Large portion of the article is dedicated to describing the global scope of such activites with Russia, Eastern Europe and China leading the ranks for criminal hideouts.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/businessweek-on-hacker-hunters/606/feed 0     Caller ID spoofs on the rise http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/caller-id-spoofs-on-the-rise/586 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/caller-id-spoofs-on-the-rise/586#comments Mon, 25 Apr 2005 16:09:25 +0000 Alex http://moskalyuk.com/blog/caller-id-spoofs-on-the-rise/586 Even though most of the customers use the technology to play a prank on their friends, caller ID spoofing is cheap enough right now to be used for malicious schemes such as phishing, BBC News article says. One of the first caller ID spoofing services, pitching to debt collection agencies, was recently forced to shut down after getting harassing e-mails and one death threat.

    ]]>     http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/caller-id-spoofs-on-the-rise/586/feed 0     Voice verification for credit cards http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/voice-verification-for-credit-cards/577 http://www.moskalyuk.com/blog/voice-verification-for-credit-cards/577#comments Wed, 20 Apr 2005 21:34:58 +0000 Alex http://moskalyuk.com/blog/voice-verification-for-credit-cards/577 It’s reasonable easy for a thief to steal the social security number and bank account information (which is printed on a check) as well as an address. The next generation of financial tools are fighting this problem. Business Week talks about voice verification in future debit and credit cards.

    Here’s how it works: A special sensor on the credit card stores its owner’s previously recorded voiceprint in digital form. When the owner receives a new card, he or she speaks a password into the sensor on the card. If the voiceprint matches, the card is activated.

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